It's been a long time since I posted here (or even visited here, in fact; my Bookmarks list is too big and I'm a busy Uni student) but I'm back, with another ambitious scheme:
A Freespace 2 themed case mod.
DISCLAIMER: This particular project is entirely dependant on my getting a second job sometime soon.
I have recently become interested in watercooling (my air-cooled Athlon64 runs hot when idle, even with no overclocking and with a massive heatsink) and in my usual all-or-nothing fashion I've decided to investigate case modding too. Which is why, during the Summer holidays, I'm going to start on what I've dubbed 'Project Sathanas', in honour of FS2's Juggernaut and the NetBIOS name I usually give my main PC.
The system will be based on the CM Stacker case, giving me lots of room for stuff inside and lots of room for eye candy on the outside. The internals are still a bit uncertain (Athlon64 San Diego core will definitely figure, as will the Radeon X900XT if it's available by September). There will be a Black Ice Pro III radiator inside the top 150mm, with three fans sucking in air from one side of the case and blowing it directly out the other.
The aim is to make the case look like some sort of Shivan vessel. Red internal lighting goes without saying. I can acquire some electroluminescent panels cheaply too, so I can put some cool lighting effects even where no neon can fit.
Currently, I plan to use epoxy resin to make raised areas (like wide veins) on the surface of the case, a la the sides of a Rakshasa cruiser, then blend them into the surface with extensive sanding. Then, black spray paint for the undercoat and a grey highlight on the raised areas.
I'm not sure how well this would work, so I need ideas from you!
I do not as yet have plans for the front panel. I need some. I won't be able to mod the fronts of my drives very easily, so I'd prefer something simple but effective. I was considering having Shivan 'spikes' curling forwards from the four corners, but those might get in the way.
Finally, the Stacker case has a large circular cutout on one side with a big filter in it and a mounting point for an 80mm fan. I won't need the fan and I'm not shy about ripping out the filter and welding/brazing bits of metal over the opening. Spiky is good, here.
(To round off the insanity, I intend to make the watercooling setup entirely copper. No plastic tubes at all. So a brazing kit will need to be added to the shopping list... It's true that this is my first attempt at both watercooling and casemodding, but a) my housemates have experience of watercooled rigs, b) they know about casemodding and DIY, and c) I'm the sort of person who learns to swim by jumping into a river and I haven't drowned yet.)
